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With the current crackdown on red light districts and massage parlours everywhere in the country, for instance in Kalijodo in Jakarta or Dolly in Surabaya, online prostitution has been booming in Indonesia. Surprisingly, sexual services are not necessarily advertised through specific adult dating sites. Many of the famous online prostitution sites like SeekingArrangement or Adult Friend Finder , are blocked by the government and only available if you download a VPN (see Best VPN for Indonesia to see how to do). SeekingArrangement , the largest sugar baby website in the world, is growing quickly in Indonesia Prostitutes, pimps and mafias use mainstream websites and apps instead like Facebook, Twitter, WeChat, BeeTalk, Instagram, Badoo or Tinder . If you are using any of these, you have probably noticed that there are more and more profiles of prostitutes, to the point that it can ruin the experience for "normal" users. This is the case on WeChat. They have

You would be surprised to know that 90% of Jakarta's main clubs, bars, spas and karaokes are in the hands of less than 50 persons and only about 30 groups. It is quite difficult to know precisely who owns what because there are usually several partners in each business venture . This is a way to minimize the investment cost, to spread the risks and to help with the promotion. Each of the owners brings his network of friends, family, strategic connections and partners to support the business and to make it grow. Within the same group, it is also not uncommon to have several companies (PT) with different shareholders each. Another difficulty is that the real owners are sometimes hidden behind a nominee. This is especially true when the venue is reputed for hosting illegal activities such as drugs, prostitution or gambling. The best illustration for that is Tommy Winata who has the particularly of being a nominee who uses other nominees: He owns stakes in multiple compan

I had already written about my surprise after reading Indonesian Facebook comments regarding the Paris attacks in November 2015. I was even more surprised today reading the comments on the Orlando gay nightclub shooting. I checked the Facebook page of mainstream Indonesian media (not the religious ones) and found out that a lot of people were actually cheering at the event. Not everyone, but at least between 30% and 50% of the comments. Not only are they cheering about it, they are also calling for more murders and more attacks on gays.

"Indonesia has some of the World's strictest drugs laws". This statement is repeated in most local and international media, but it is quite inaccurate if you look at the facts. A more realistic statement would be to say that Indonesia has some of the world's most inconsistent laws and policies against drugs.

If you can read or understand Indonesian, you will discover that while almost everyone condemns the Paris attacks, many are bitter. It has become impossible to express grief for France without being shamed because “other people have died before and you didn’t grieve for them”. Among Indonesians posting on Facebook, the most popular statuses are not the compassionate ones. Instead, you will read things like "I won't pray for Paris because Paris didn't pray for Palestine, Iraq and Lebanon". Western medias are accused of being biased and having double standards whenever Muslims are involved. Some go further and imply that it is normal to be attacked because France attacked Muslims countries and killed innocent civilians. Most comments mention humiliation, abuse or neglect they consider developing countries are facing from developed nations. In particular, Muslims feel they are being victimized and blamed whenever there is a terrorist attack. Many believe that

Strangely, today I saw this picture on instagram showing the outside of a massage parlour in Alam Sutra called Lunatic . As I wrote on Jakarta100bars, sexual services are available there, including blowjobs and nude massage. Handjobs are part of the standard procedure while for additional services, the price must be negotiated directly with the girls. The management warns though that they do not provide condoms and that it is forbidden to engage in sexual intercourse. The management of Lunatic massage advertises sexual services on public forums I was surprised to see that several high-ranking policeman sent flower boxes to congratulate the owner and wish him success for the grand opening. When I say they spent money, I reckon it is government money as it seems the flowers were sent from the police offices.

Many people believed that Jokowi would modernize Indonesia. They were hoping that he would fight corruption, boost the economy, launch infrastructure programs, reduce the influence of religious mafias and promote Indonesia on the world scene as a modern nation. To say that those people, including myself, are disappointed is an understatement. Jokowi and his team have betrayed the people who voted for them. Not only he did not do what he promised, he did the contrary. A year after he took office, I cannot think of anything positive he has accomplished. On the contrary, there are several reasons to think that Indonesia is actually going backwards. Freedom of speech under attack Indonesia was ranked #132 in the world in 2014 in terms of press freedom by Reporters Without Borders . It dropped 6 places in 2015. Several foreign journalists have been arrested since the beginning of the year, in particular Rebecca Prosser and Neil Bonner who spent 4 months in jail f

Even though the Indonesian Police is receiving some bad press occasionally, I thought it was time to celebrate their work and ethic through a short illustrated post. I haven't traveled that much in the world, but it seems fair to me to say that the Indonesian Police could be among the best in the planet. Here are 13 reasons why: The Indonesian Police is particularly compassionate towards the sick and the elderly. Pakubuwono XIII is thanking the police for its understanding In 2015, the King of Solo was asked to provide a DNA sample so the police could check if he raped a 16 years old woman. Unfortunately, the King was feeling unwell that day. The Police understood the situation and dropped the case altogether, allowing one very sick man to remain free. More on the Jakarta Globe: Sick Solo King No Show For Questioning .

Many people ask me if Jakarta is a dangerous city or not. I tend to think that it is very safe because after living four years here, I’ve never had a problem except for a few very minor annoyances. But bad things happened to other people and I want to be as fair as possible in order to give you an objective point of you on whether Jakarta is a dangerous city or not. Danger is not limited to robbery or crime. To be complete, here is a list of the 10 dangers you may face while staying or living in Jakarta as an expat or foreigner. I also write an estimation of the level of risk. If you are going to Jakarta without a travel insurance, you should read the following: Choosing Your Travel Insurance in Indonesia . Safety on the road: High I think that your biggest threat while being in Jakarta will be dealing with motorized vehicles, whether your are walking, in a car, or in a motorcycle. If you take the taxi for instance, you will notice cars don’t have a safety belt in the back.